


Three

by ALittleBirdieToldMeASecret



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Dadster, Drama, Gen, Weird things are happening, who knows for sure where it will take them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-13 16:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21171812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALittleBirdieToldMeASecret/pseuds/ALittleBirdieToldMeASecret
Summary: Doctor W. D. Gaster did the unthinkable.  He created life.  By accident.  He actually couldn’t have achieved something further from what he wanted.But now he has two sons.  One of which is....quite odd.  To say the least.  With his oldest as the bridge, perhaps the three of them can make the Underground a better place.  Maybe, they can even help set them free...Or...maybe not.





	1. Chapter 1

“Dad?”

Jolting at the unexpected break in silence, he grasped his chest.Spinning his chair in the direction of the voice, he was met by two small, empty eye sockets.

“Papyrus.Shouldn’t you be in bed?”He kept his voice down.It was late, and he shouldn’t still be in the labs.As if that were uncommon.

The young skeleton stared back blankly, seeming almost unaware he’d even been spoken to.

“Can I ask you a question?”

It wasn’t unlike his youngest to interrupt his work whenever willing, but at this hour...something must be bothering him.

“Of course, my son.”

“What do the numbers mean?”He remained in the entryway, maintaining the same distant stare he was oh so good at.

“Numbers...in general?”Restraining a chuckle, he leaned forward, inviting the child closer.He didn’t seem to notice.

“No, the numbers that are everywhere.”This time, he took a few steps into the room, glancing back over his shoulder, “Sans told me not to ask you, but he didn’t know, either.”

_Oh did he now._

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.Could you give me an example?”This was not the first nonsensical question Papyrus had ever asked him, but it was proving to be the least specific.

“It’s always ‘ones and zeros’.They’re everywhere.”

Code?Computer code?

The casual authority of his tone lended an uncomfortable certainty to the already odd question.

Absentmindedly running his hand over the back of his neck, he sat up again.

“Ones and zeros are used for computer codes.That’s...that’s what makes them function.It’s sort of like...a computer‘s language, if you will.”Offering a warm smile, he stood up, stepping closer, “I suppose in a laboratory such as this, they would be everywhere.”

“No, I mean, everywhere.I can see them everywhere.”

His smile fell as his son’s unwavering stare partnered with his curious admission sent a chill up his spine.

“Papyrus, what do you mean by ‘everywhere’?”A scientist always asks questions, but he definitely had reservations about that one.

“When I do this,” cupping one hand over his left eye, a brilliant orange hue lit up in his right, “I can see it everywhere.You have a lot of ‘ones’, Dad.”

A wave of dread froze him to the spot.The room melted away leaving only his bewilderment and that now daunting orange light.

Instinctively, he rushed forward, cupping his hand over the light to smother it out as he carefully sunk down to his knees.The small skeleton immediately removed his own hand from his left eye as the scientist checked to make sure the other had returned to normal.

“Please, my son, do not do that from now on unless it is asked of you.”While he didn’t know when or how he’d learned to do that, it was not something he needed to use.Whatever it was it did, anyway.

“But why?”The child seemed surprisingly unfazed, though, letting his father hold his skull in a soothing manner.

“I am...not certain.I will look into it, I promise.But for now, you must promise me that you will not use it.Am I understood?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Good.”Taking a deep breath, he moved his hands to his son’s shoulders, doing his best to come across as reassuring.As opposed to how completely unsettled he felt at this particular point in time.

“Now, how about I read you another bedtime story?”

“Will you do the voices?”

“Do I ever not?”

The young monster seemed satisfied with the response, turning to the doorway while he stood to follow.

It was beginning to look like he wasn’t going to get to sleep tonight after all.

“And the fluffy bunny...found his friends in the....the...” Drawing his tired eyes up from the book, he was grateful to find the child breathing softly, eyes closed in a tranquil rest.

Despite the now peaceful atmosphere, he couldn’t shake the the feeling of impending danger his son’s strange prophetic tendencies wrought.

Why would he see computer code everywhere?Was he seeing the inter-dimensional plane?How...

Could Sans see it as well?

Almost as if on cue, a curious voice drew his attention back to reality.

“dad?what are you doing?”Mindful of his brother, he kept himself to a whisper.

Rising to his feet, he carefully rested the book on the nightstand beside himself.

“Your brother could not sleep.Come with me.”Tone flat, he lead the child through the hall and down the stairs to the lower level.It was difficult to hide his frustration with his oldest encouraging his brother to keep secrets from him.

Of course, if it was because he was scared, anger was not the solution.

Moving slowly so the child could keep up, they eventually arrived at his office.The thermostat downstairs had to maintain a cool, dry climate, so he usually kept a blanket in the room for such occasions.And definitely not for all the times he’d fallen asleep at his desk.

Retrieving it from the cupboard, he handed the plush throw to the small monster watching him carefully.

“am i in trouble?”

“Possibly.I haven’t decided yet. Have a seat.” Opting to sit at one of the two chairs in front of his desk, he rolled his eyes as his son made his way to the one behind it.

“Here.”

With a shrug and unwavering smile, his son teleported to the seat beside him, enshrouding himself with the blanket.

“This is a serious matter, Sans.I need you to be honest with me.”Leaning forward, he did his best to keep composure.

“you want me _tibia_ honest with you?”

His frown deepened, but he knew his son well.It was his unique way of coping with the stress, so he ignored it.

“Why would you tell your brother to keep secrets from me?”

Staring back at him, the child seemed unbothered by the question.But he did take a moment to consider his response.

“well.you do a lot of experiments on us.him especially.i don’t think other monsters see numbers everywhere, so i figured if you knew, you’d do more experiments.” 

His tone was factual, and he had to admit, the logic was sound, but it twisted him up inside to know there was still so little understanding between them in that respect.

“My son, those are not ‘experiments’.They are tests.I have explained this to you before.”Exasperatedly, he took a deeper breath, rubbing his eyelids in defeat, “But that is beside the point right now.Can you see them as well?”

“no.”A prepared answer.

“Sans.I need you..._tibia_ honest with me.This could be highly dangerous.”

Thinking again, the child watched the floor for a moment before making his decision.

“...no.really.dad, what’s gunna happen to papyrus?”

“I...don’t know.”Lying to Sans never worked, he was unfortunately sharp for his age, “But I will do my best to keep him safe.Alright?”

Nodding, the young monster pulled the blanket tighter.

“And I need you to tell me if anything else comes up, alright?We both have to keep him safe.”

Another nod, more mild than the first.It pained him to know his son did not trust him, but...he supposed that was true of all children, to some degree.

“can I go back to bed now?”

Sighing, he stood, moving to pick up the small monster, “Yes.But I mean it.No more secrets.”

Resting his head against his father’s chest, the child let him carry him back to his bedroom, already fallen asleep in the short journey.

Laying the tired skeleton down in his unkempt bed, he rested his forehead on him for a moment before returning to the hallway.He could already hear stirring in the room next door.It was unusual for Papyrus to sleep for more than one or two hours on any given night.But he was behaved about it.He wouldn’t leave his room until the morning, or until Sans awoke.

He mostly just colored, in the meantime.Lots of things, like his lab assistants, him and Sans, all of them together, flowers, lots of golden flowers.They were usually smiling.Probably because they were the King’s favorite.He was quite the  _budding_ young artist.


	2. Stranger in a Strange Place

Cupping both hands over his face, he groaned his frustration to the computer before him.This was not going to be any form of ‘quick fix’, and while he hadn’t expected it to be, it was turning out to be much, much more complicated than he’d initially thought.

“dad?”

Jostling back into a proper sitting position, he spun his chair to face the child now standing across the room from him.

“Sans.”He wanted to tell him he was working, and that he knows not to come in here during normal working hours, but, “May I ask you a question?”

Padding softly across the floor, the small skeleton hoisted himself up onto the desk beside him, “sure.what’s up?”

How to phrase it... “You and your brother get along very well, yes?”

“mmmm, i think so.”

Sliding down to rest his chin on his hands, the child watched him patiently.

“Whenever you two are together, you seem quite happy.”

“yeah, i ‘spose so.”A slightly more sincere smile shone through the one that naturally rested on his face.

“If I’m being frank, I don’t think I’ve seen your brother emote under any circumstances.”

Leaning back on his hands, the child cocked a brow at him, “well, frank, i’m not sure what you mean by that.”

Sighing, he tilted his head to match the angle of his son’s.

“I understand you, Sans.You talk to me, and I talk to you.You tell me jokes, and I hardly ever see them coming,” glancing back to the computer screen unyielding anything akin to some form of a result, he frowned, “but your brother...He does not speak to me.When I tell him jokes, he stares at me like a stranger.When I hug him, he pats me on the back like a patronizing school teacher.When I attempt to help him with educational exercises, he’ll simply walk away from something he doesn’t understand.I do not know him, Sans.I don’t even know what he likes to do, outside of being with you.”His eyes drifted back to the small monster studying him carefully, listening to each word with dedication.

It was always so easy to talk to him, sometimes he would even lose track of the fact he was only a child.

“maybe he just doesn’t know you.”

Casting a sarcastic look at the child, he propped his head up with one hand, “I find that rather hard to believe.”

“why?maybe you should spend a little more time listening to him than yourself.”

“Am I really so self absorbed?”

Nodding with a teasing smile, the child earned another exasperated sigh.

“Very well.I should try to be more personable from now on.How does that sound?”

“good.”Hopping back down, the skeleton made his way to the other side of the desk, “oh, and he likes the oatmeal with dinasaur eggs.”

Without missing a beat, he opened one of the miscellaneous drawers and retrieved a bag of chisps, “how’s that number thing going?”

Burying his face, he let out another frustrated groan.

“that well, huh?”

“I can’t say it isn’t the puzzle of a lifetime.”Voice muffled by his arms, he pulled his head back up to face his son, “But no results are better than bad ones, yes?”

“uh, i don’t know about that, doc.”Waving a chip sarcastically, he pointed to the screen, “have you tried just asking him yet?”

Leaning back in his chair, he clasped his hands together and rested them on the desk.

“If he was asking me for help, I doubt he understands it any better than I do.”

“ya never know if ya don’t try, right?”

Watching the sage child for a moment, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Yes, you are correct in that assumption.”

“i’m gunna go back upstairs.don’t forget to come back up for dinner.”

“As you command, m’lord.”With a bowed head, his son patted the top of it as he made his way back out of the large room.

Everything was always easier said than done, wasn’t it.But this was important.Perhaps he could take Papyrus to the park over the weekend.Sans didn’t like long walks anyway, and he’d probably like a little alone time.

Leaning back in his chair, he drew a long breath as he closed his eyes.Parenthood was already difficult enough without the addition of both your sons being accidentally created in an experiment to make spacetime altering weapons.

Ah well.Back to it then.He really needed to get a foothold in all this ‘code’ business.Again, easier said than done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short, but I think the chapters for this will be. Kind of like, snippets of their lives. I’ve been mulling over actually making this into a comic instead! But I’m not sure yet!

**Author's Note:**

> Just an excuse to write some Dadster tbh  
May or may not continue, I just work on it whenever I’m vibing with it


End file.
